


Prove It (Tired of These Walls)

by Neva_Borne



Series: Zutara Drabble December [21]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: ATLA Season 2, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ba Sing Se, Canon Divergent, Drabble, F/M, Season 2, Tea Shop, ZK Drabble December, Zutara, walls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:01:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28233573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neva_Borne/pseuds/Neva_Borne
Summary: In which a chance encounter might be the first step to something more.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Zutara Drabble December [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035657
Kudos: 26
Collections: ZK Drabble December 2020





	Prove It (Tired of These Walls)

It was crowded in the Upper Ring. People were headed home, or headed to the shops that were still open hoping to buy dinner or flowers or a gift for their husbands or wives. The late afternoon sun, combined with the crowd, made Katara almost miss the openness of the desert at night. At least there hadn’t been so many people.

She met his gaze across the crowd and froze, her heart suddenly beating three times its usual speed. Surely, there was no way it was really him? But there he was, his familiar golden eyes widening as he stared at her, one of them permanently squinted by the trademark scar stretched across his face.

She moved to pull her water from the skin on her hip, ready for a fight, her face twisted into determination.

He turned and ran.

For a moment she stood there, perplexed, before she took off after him through the crowd, pushing her way through, apologizing as she bumped into people and occasionally sent them sprawling. There was no time to slow down, though. She couldn’t lose him. 

Her mind whirred. What was he doing here? How had he gotten inside the Earth Kingdom capital unnoticed? Surely he was there to track down Aang again, but it had been so long since he’d shown up on their tail, she’d almost forgotten he was chasing them at all. 

As she ducked down an alley, she realized this might be a trap. Perhaps he was luring her somewhere so he could capture her, use her as bait to get Aang and the others to show up, and then he’d finally have his prize. 

But it was too late to turn back now. He was standing there, facing her, panting as he just stared at her.

She skidded to a halt, her arms poised to drag her water out if he showed any sign of being a threat, or if there was an ambush.

“I thought that was you,” he huffed.

Katara narrowed her eyes, studying him. His hair was longer than it had been the last time she’d seen him, but it was still a little strange to see him without his shaved head ponytail. He looked… normal. Like a teenage boy. Like a refugee.

“What are you doing here?” She glowered. “Oh wait, no. Let me guess. You’re here to capture Aang, of course.”

Zuko seemed to flinch, and he dropped her gaze. “No… I… I didn’t even know you were here.”

Her frown deepened in confusion. If Zuko didn’t know they were here… then why was  _ he  _ here?

“Well.” Zuko continued, and Katara tensed in response, though he did nothing except look up. “I didn’t know you were here until I found the poster about the bison.”

“Appa.”

“Yeah, Appa.” Zuko looked away, awkwardly. “I found him, and I set him free, and-”

“You  _ what?”  _

“I found him, underneath that stupid lake. And I…” He scratched the back of his neck, glancing at her for a second. “Well I was originally going to use him to catch Aang but…” 

“But what?”

He sighed, and he looked so defeated that Katara almost felt bad for him.

Almost.

“It… I wasn’t doing it for me.” He admitted. “I don’t want to fight you. I don’t want to chase Aang anymore. I’m… my uncle has a tea shop, and he’s happy, and I’m…”

Katara straightened, releasing some of the tension in her body, but still ready to attack if need be. There was something different about this Zuko compared to the angry, determined boy she’d run into before. 

“I’m just trying to live a life, now. No one knows who we are here.”

She wished Toph were here, to see if he was lying, but her instincts were telling her that he wasn’t. That despite everything, he was being honest. Her heartbeat slowed as she took a deep breath.

“Prove it.”

He looked up at her, brows furrowed. “What?”

“Prove to me you are telling the truth.” Katara shrugged. “You have a tea shop? Prove it. I want to see it. I want to see that you aren’t here to steal Aang.”

She knew she could be walking right into a trap, but his genuine surprise at her request calmed her thoughts. 

As he nodded and began to walk down the alley until they were side-by-side - or almost, she stayed a step behind him just in case - she felt the first of the walls that had been built between them begin to crumble.


End file.
